Report of the UNIVERSITY COMMISSION on GONZAGA's RESPONSE to the CATHOLIC SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS to the PRESIDENT of GONZAGA UNIV
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Report of THE UNIVERSITY COMMISSION ON GONZAGA’S RESPONSE TO THE CATHOLIC SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS to THE PRESIDENT OF GONZAGA UNIVERSITY SPOKANE, WA Table of Contents A Message from President McCulloh ................................ 4 Preface ............................................................................................... 6 • Document Overview ...................................................................... 9 • Reporting Sexual Abuse ................................................................. 9 • Membership of the Commission ................................................... 10 Introduction ................................................................................... 15 • Establishing Context ...................................................................... 16 • Engaging Community ..................................................................... 21 • Forming Recommendations .......................................................... 24 Reflections on the Work ............................................................ 25 • The Complexity of the Commission’s Charge ............................ 26 • The Process ...................................................................................... 27 • The Desire for an Apology .............................................................. 28 • The Question of Investigation ...................................................... 29 • Who Knew What When? ................................................................. 29 • The Question about Inclusion of Survivors ................................. 30 • Healing and Reconciliation ............................................................ 30 2 • Mission .............................................................................................. 31 • Introduction to the Recommendations of the Commission to the President ............................................. 32 Recommendations to the President ................................... 34 • Academics......................................................................................... 35 • Memorials and Liturgies ................................................................. 36 • Mission Identity .............................................................................. 37 • Policy and Procedure ...................................................................... 38 • Tribal Relations ................................................................................ 39 Appendix ........................................................................................... 42 • Timeline of the Commission ......................................................... 43 3 Letter from the President September 1, 2021 Dear Members of the Gonzaga University Community: It is with deep gratitude that I share the final report of the University’s Commission on Gonzaga’s Response to the Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis. In April 2019, I asked a dozen dedicated colleagues to engage in difficult conversations about what systematic abuse within the Church compels us – a Catholic university and an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus at this time in our history – to learn, to know and to do. This document represents the culmination of more than 18 months of work, and contains clear and thoughtful recommendations about the actions our Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic university should undertake given the clergy abuse crisis within the Church, our own institutional experience, and our role as a learning community to advance healing, justice and reconciliation. On behalf of our entire University, I wish to express my deepest appreciation to the members of the Commission, and thank them for their commitment, 4 courage, and diligence throughout this project. I especially wish to thank Commission co-chairs Dr. Michelle Wheatley and Dr. Megan McCabe, for their leadership of this important effort. I am also grateful to the many members of the Gonzaga University community who participated with the Commission by providing input, perspective and thoughtful commentary. It is my belief that this report – and the recommendations contained within it – will guide our actions and future way forward as we demonstrate our solidarity with victim-survivors, deepen our understanding, and work together as community to repair broken trust and advance the apostolic and educational mission of Gonzaga University. Sincerely, Thayne M. McCulloh, D.Phil. President 5 Preface 6 In April 2019, President Thayne McCulloh of Gonzaga University appointed a University Commission on Gonzaga’s Response to the Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis. The Commission’s charge was to identify, discuss, and make recommendations to the president regarding a set of formal actions the University should undertake in light of the Catholic sexual abuse crisis and Gonzaga’s institutional experience of it. This Commission was formed and began meeting in May 2019. Over the next 13 months the group met 13 times as a whole, and convened in subcommittee meetings and other events to inform recommendations. The Commission held a two-day retreat in July 2019 to establish context and build trust among the group. It also hosted multiple listening sessions throughout fall 2019 to better understand the needs, hopes, and concerns of the Gonzaga University community. This report provides an overview of the Commission’s activities, reflections on its charge and work over the last year, and recommendations to the president about how the Gonzaga community should continue to face Catholic sexual abuse and make sense of its institutional experience. This report is modeled after and inspired by the Report of The Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation developed by Georgetown University 1. This report is intended to fulfill the charge of the Commission to provide recommendations to the president, and it concludes the Commission’s responsibilities. However, as is outlined in the section containing 1 “Report of the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation to the President of Georgetown University,” Georgetown University website, Summer 2016, http://slavery.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GU-WGSMR-Report-Web.pdf. 7 Recommendations to the President, the Commission considers this report the beginning of a new phase of work, including the launch of several working groups to continue advancing worthy, longer-term aspirations in accordance with the Commission’s mandate. This report also highlights good work already underway in the University, concurrent with the formation and activities of the Commission. Where possible, this document endeavors to shine light on those events and processes and explain how they connect to the work of the Commission. This report does not provide an exhaustive list, and the Commission invites the University community to continue creating as comprehensive a plan as possible. 8 Document Overview INTRODUCTION This section outlines the Commission’s activities between its introductory meeting in May 2019 and the submission of its report in August 2020. REFLECTIONS ON THE WORK This section includes the Commission’s reflections on its journey, including commentary on the following topics: • The Complexity of the Commission’s Charge • The Process • The Desire for an Apology • The Question of Investigation • Who Knew What When? • The Question about Inclusion of Survivors • Healing and Reconciliation • Mission • Introduction to the Recommendations of the Commission to the President RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PRESIDENT This section contains the Commission’s recommendations to the president, in accordance with its charge. APPENDIX The Appendix includes the Timeline of the Commission. REPORTING SEXUAL ABUSE This report contains open, honest, and difficult reflections about sexual abuse. Throughout this process, the Commission has endeavored to maintain a strong commitment to survivors. If you would like to report abuse or seek out resources, both within the University and externally (including through the Jesuits West Province), please see www.gonzaga.edu/report. 9 MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION Co-Chairs Megan K. McCabe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Megan McCabe works in the areas of Catholic moral theology, theological ethics, and feminist and liberation theologies. Her research and teaching respond to questions of human responsibility for suffering and the correlative duties to work for social transformation. Her current research focuses on sexual violence and its cultural foundations. She co-founded and co-led a Theology, Sexuality, and Justice interest group for the Catholic Theological Society of America, co-chairs the “Contextualizing the Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis” Seminar for the American Academy of Religion, and co-led a task force for the Department of Religious Studies in response to Catholic sexual abuse in Spring 2019. Michelle Wheatley, D.Min., Vice President for Mission and Ministry Dr. Michelle Wheatley serves as the mission officer for the University and leads the Mission and Ministry division. Her work focuses on the University’s identity and practice as a Sponsored Work of the Society of Jesus, which includes supporting the community in actively engaging and sharing responsibility for the fulfillment of Gonzaga’s Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic mission. Her specific areas of interest include Ignatian approaches to leadership, community building, and organizational development. 10 Commission Members Fr. Tim Clancy, S.J., Ph.D. Fr. Tim Clancy, S.J.